Conventionally, an image forming device using electrophotographic recording to form an image by transferring a toner image to a recording sheet from a photosensitive drum that is an image carrier is widely known. In this kind of image forming device, consumable parts such as a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a cleaning device and a developing device are configured as one unit as an image forming unit (or process cartridge), and are detachably mounted on the image forming device to enable the consumable parts to be easily changed.
In recent years, for example, as described in Japanese laid open patent publication number 2006-235528, a tandem type color image forming device has been developed in which toner images of different colors are formed on a plurality of photosensitive drums, and toner images are overlayed on a rerecording sheet carried by the sheet carrying device having a transfer belt or the like.
The color image forming device is formed from a frame that surrounds all of the image forming units and a linkage mechanism that connects the frame and the color image forming device. The frame can be lifted to create a large space between the image forming unit and the sheet carrying device when jamming (sheet jamming) occurs to enable a jammed recording sheet that remains on the sheet carrying; device to be removed.
However, there has always been a problem in that the work required to remove the recording sheet in the conventional image forming device is a large scale job, as the structure of the device is complicated.
Therefore, in view of the above, the present application describes an image forming device having a simple configuration that enables a recording sheet to be easily removed when jamming or the like occurs.